4 Key Stages for Measuring Your Media Outcomes September 26, 2016 By Marketing Admin What can media accomplish? What can it affect? These are questions funders often ask. Restating those questions from an evaluation perspective translates to: how can one measure the impact of media? To understand how to measure media, we must first understand the strategy behind media.
The Story of a TCC-er at Summer Camp August 19, 2016 By Marketing Admin I may not be unique. Like most people who work in or with the social sector, I have a personal drive to give back. But volunteering at a week-long summer camp gave me pause – and I will share with you how this experience reinforced how I embody TCC’s values – that is, a client-centered approach focused on learning, sustainable change, and resourcefulness.
Building a More Effective Community Approach June 23, 2016 By Marketing Admin Companies are developing their corporate citizenship approaches and strategies based on three primary drivers: aligning with their purpose; addressing an operational issue; and/or supporting the communities where they have operations and employees. Public media and high-profile stories surrounding companies and their corporate citizenship efforts tend to focus on the major programs and initiatives that the company has developed and promoted, such as Unilever’s Sustainable Living commitment (Purpose) or Starbucks’ focus on sourcing products responsibly (Operations). The approach to community, however, tends to be less developed…
Municipalities: The Missing Link To Social Sector Capacity Building June 7, 2016 By Marketing Admin Through our work in the nonprofit sector, we have found government agencies are often the critical (and missing) link to building and sustaining a strong social sector. But why has so little attention been given to their role and their efforts with respect to capacity building?
Grow Stronger & Achieve Greater Impact May 23, 2016 By Marketing Admin What do legal advocacy and organizational effectiveness have in common? TCC Group CEO Richard Mittenthal shares his takeaways from the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) 2016 National Conference in Minneapolis.
Legal Advocacy as a Strategy: An Undertaking of the Atlas Learning Project May 2, 2016 By Marketing Admin Over the last year, TCC Group has been conducting a field review into the world of legal advocacy in the nonprofit sector. Partnering with the Center for Evaluation Innovation and the Atlantic Philanthropies via the Atlas Learning Project, which aims to push advocacy in bolder and more effective directions, TCC Group has been examining how … Continued
Are There Too Many Cooks in Your Nonprofit’s Strategic Planning Kitchen? April 5, 2016 By Marketing Admin It’s not about the number of cooks in your kitchen, but about each of their distinct roles. Learn how to identify the chef de cuisine, sous chef, line cooks, and patrons in your nonprofit’s strategic planning process.
How Media Affects Social Change March 2, 2016 By Marketing Admin Media, and more importantly its ability to reach the public and provide commentary, has been present ever since the existence of a town crier. The tradition of oration has evolved to broadsheet, books, radio, television, and now, to the digital age. I’ve been an evaluator for over 25 years and, over the last several years, have done a deep dive into the world of media, its role in communities, and how it can contribute to social and community change.
One Size Does Not Fit All: Program Management Software Solutions February 8, 2016 By Marketing Admin As today’s leading companies launch and expand corporate citizenship programs, they continue to seek greater social and environmental impact. While they operate at various levels of scale, they all face critical challenges around tracking and reporting data, operational inefficiencies, and nonprofit relations. When it comes to researching and selecting a software solution, what service areas exist and what questions should be asked? TCC’s James Gaynor sheds some light on the ever-changing technology options, and how clients develop customized criteria to make the best decision.
10 Critical Questions A Smart Impact Investor Should Ask (And Be Able to Answer) December 23, 2015 By Marketing Admin With the rhetoric around impact investing reaching new heights, foundations and nonprofits would do well to keep the following in mind: Similar to grants, or different forms of non-grantmaking support, impact investing is but one tool in the social impact toolbox. Senior Consultant, Marieke Spence, shares ten critical questions a foundation should ask during the planning and investing process.
Why Democratic Grantmaking Cuts Across Party Lines December 3, 2015 By Marketing Admin TCC’s Ashley Blanchard shares how the Hill-Snowden Foundation, for which she serves as a trustee, has made lasting impact in social justice philanthropy by seeing the work firsthand.
4 Predictions for the Future of the Nonprofit Sector December 1, 2015 By Marketing Admin How will the nonprofit sector evolve? What will change and what will stay the same?TCC Group President and CEO, Richard Mittenthal, shares his four predictions about the future of the nonprofit sector.
From “Good” to “Great” (or Better Yet, Impactful) November 1, 2015 By Marketing Admin Does a “good board” really a strong organization make? Fixing your board…that’s what many of us in leadership positions in the nonprofit sector believe it takes to improve our organizational impact. But how much does developing and educating your board really improve the way your organization does its work?
Toolkit Troubles? TCC’s Evaluators Share Their Top Tips October 18, 2015 By Marketing Admin Toolkits have the potential to impact nonprofit effectiveness. TCC Group’s work evaluating toolkits has identified 5 essential elements of creating and maintaining this powerful resource.
CASE STUDY: Supporting Organizational Effectiveness Within Movements October 6, 2015 By Marketing Admin Funders supporting movements face a unique set of challenges when trying to support organizations working for the same cause. In their efforts to increase organizational effectiveness, foundations invariably face questions of credibility and control, and sometimes encounter diverging understandings of success. This case study profiles how TCC Group – with its partner, the Wikimedia Foundation – developed an innovative, participatory approach to these challenges, resulting in increased organizational effectiveness in the Wikimedia movement.